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Thousands of French and German aerospace workers staged weekend rallies to protest against 10,000 job cuts at European planemaker Airbus, accusing governments and industry of ignoring their plight.
Protesters waved flags, blew whistles, blared out rock music and paraded with children in front of Airbus facilities.
In France, the anger came hard on the heels of similar protests over 1500 job losses at French-American technology firm Alcatel Lucent, with the question of how to save highly skilled jobs dominating the country's election campaign.
Green Party candidate Dominique Voynet became the latest contender to offer support to Airbus workers, after candidates from leading parties visited Airbus plants to express their concerns before April and May presidential polls.
"Here we are under the window of [Airbus chief] Louis Gallois and we know he's in there today," Force Ouvriere union representative Jean-Francois Knepper told workers outside the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, southwestern France.
"This is a strong symbol that will prove how determined and united we are."
Gallois unveiled the job cuts with plans to sell all or part of six of the planemaker's 16 European plants last month, saying the four-nation company's survival was at stake.
- REUTERS
